I’ve been thinking about starting a prayer service in the produce aisle of my local kosher supermarket. Weeks ago, when the only legal gatherings in my state were at golf courses, we could have had one there. The other day, a friend asked me what in my county was open, and I was at a loss to provide an answer; it’s hard to keep track. The businesses and activities open in my county differ from the rest of my state; in nearby counties in Virginia and in Washington, D.C., the rules for what is open in different “phases” are different as well. It’s impossible to keep track of the arbitrary rules that determine how and when people are allowed to reopen their businesses and try to salvage their livelihoods.

In New York, four sets of Jewish parents and the Association of Jewish Camp Operators reached a breaking point in their willingness to allow the government to apply these rules and decisions. Three weeks ago, New York Gov. Andrew Cuomo announced that sleep-away camps would have to remain closed this summer, despite the fact that dormitories on college campuses and day camps are open. These secular activities are on the approved list, while Jewish children are unable to attend sleep-away camp. In their brief, the plaintiffs argue against the state, which outlined the supposed risks of opening sleep-away camps: “Each of the risks he cites for Jewish overnight camps applies to a same or greater extent to secular activity that he has decided to exempt from his Executive Orders, as long as they adhere to State issued health protocols.”